San Francisco, CA, November 15, 2012—For anyone starting out in computer programming, the learning curve can be frustratingly steep. The simple stuff is easy enough to grasp, but anything actually useful remains frustratingly out of reach. And when you're a kid with no programming history behind you, the task can seem insurmountable.

A new book from No Starch Press promises to help soften that learning curve. Jason R. Briggs'Python for Kids (No Starch Press, December 2012, 344 pp., $34.95, ISBN 9781593274078) is a kid-friendly introduction to Python, one of the world's most powerful and widely used programming languages. "I can still quite vividly remember the feeling of learning to program at the age of eight," says Briggs. "When you program, you create something from nothing in a way that's quite different from any other medium. I hope readers experience the same sense of wonder as they work their way through Python for Kids."

Briggs packs his book with coding examples designed to teach readers how to create drawings, animations, and games. The sample programs in Python for Kids feature ravenous monsters, secret agents, and thieving ravens, and each chapter is full of wacky, colorful art by Miran Lipovača (of Learn You a Haskell for Great Good! fame). And to ensure maximum accuracy and non-boringness, Python for Kids was technically reviewed by both a programming professional and a middle school student (who programs in Python, Java, and JavaScript. Kids these days!).

But just because the book is fun doesn't mean that it sacrifices real learning. Python for Kids is a thorough introduction to Python (and computer science), complete with programming puzzles and chapter summaries to make sure the lessons stick. Readers learn how to:

Use fundamental data structures like lists, tuples, and maps

Organize and reuse code with functions and modules

Use control structures like loops and conditional statements

Draw shapes and patterns with Python's turtle module

Create games, animations, and other graphical wonders with tkinter

As the title suggests, Python for Kids is written for kids, but it's also suitable for any beginner who wants a gentle and fun introduction to programming. Python for Kids continues the long-standing No Starch Press tradition of making technical topics accessible, while hopefully minting a few new programmers along the way.

Jason R. Briggs has been a programmer since the age of eight, when he first learned BASIC on a Radio Shack TRS-80. He has written software professionally as a developer and systems architect and served as Contributing Editor for Java Developer's Journal. His articles have appeared in JavaWorld, ONJava and ONLamp. Python for Kids is his first book.

About No Starch Press
Founded in 1994, No Starch Press publishes the finest in geek entertainment—unique books on technology, with a focus on open source, security, hacking, programming, alternative operating systems, LEGO, science, and math. Our titles have personality, our authors are passionate, and our books tackle topics that people care about. No Starch Press titles have received numerous awards, including gold medals from the Independent Publisher Book Awards (the "IPPYs") and ForeWord's Book of the Year Awards, and have been showcased in the prestigious STEP Inside Design 100 and Communication Arts Design Annual. Visit http://www.nostarch.com for a complete catalog.

About O'Reilly

O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.